Justice League: Animae Style
by west189
Summary: Instead of seven initial leagueres there are 8! Animae is your old-fashioned, rough, tough gal with a crush on none other than Flash whom secretly returns the feelings. See the world from her point of view throughout the DCAU JL series. r&r please
1. Secret Origins pt 1

Author's Note: Yo, peoples! This is my first JL/U fic so please bear with me on this Constructive criticism is welcome; just explain the reasons of your dislike of my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own these people or characters except the minor non-rich-people owned ones and Animae. If I did, Flash would get a girlfriend.

**Secret Origins Pt. 1**

I was not too happy when I saw the News with Superman dismantling the bombs. Sure, I don't like warheads, but then again, I'm a superhero, I'm not supposed to. And yet, I still was worried about it. Flash was… right.

I mean sure, people look at him and see a gullible fool who takes a bit too much pride in his work. But if you really thought about it, half of what he said seemed carefully thought-out, mind.

Oh, well… I guess I'm getting off topic. Anyway, I'd been having vivid dreams lately, too vivid. I keep seeing a governmental facility in America. But as soon as I decide to take a look, I hear the voice that tells me I need to be somewhere… Shaking the dream out of my head gets harder each time. As I get ready to go grocery shopping, I feel the voice strongly. _Please come and help us_.

Before leaving, I put on my armor. It consists of a royal blue short-sleeved t-shirt, forest green pants, white gloves, and a battle helmet that casts all of my face in shadow except for my eyes and mouth. All of these are magically imbued to offer the highest grade protection from the elements. Also, my helmet makes my normally grey eyes change color depending on my mood.

I decide to teleport to save the time of flying from Italy to Nebraska. Upon arrival, I see a harsh battlefield. A big, blue guy whom I presumed to be Superman and a guy cloaked in black, decidedly Batman were fighting white human form globs with plasma guns. Fun. There was also a green guy dressed in blue short-shorts, boots, and cape with a large red X across his chest.

Superman pushed me out of the way as a plasma bullet came towards me. I answered the question forming rapidly in his mind, "I'm here to help!" Well, really I yelled it so he could hear me. Then, before he could reply, I flew up and focused my mind on destroying some plasma guns.

By the looks I received, I guess it worked on only one. But as I was about to destroy another, Superman shouted for me to follow the others. Well, I actually heard the green guy's telepathy calling for backup first. I strengthened it, knowing he would still be weak, since I sensed exhaustion rolling off him in waves.

I followed them through the canyon and realized I was being followed. I let out a string of curses when I saw an armada of enemy cruisers and shouted swore repeatedly when I saw the Batwing get hit. I wasn't able to help them seeing as I was being bombarded by plasma everywhere I turned.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a Green Lantern helping them. The sigh turned to a scream as I was hit. I nearly hit the ground but was stopped by strong winds I felt a gentle but firm arm carry me at high speeds… too high to _**CRRACK!**_ I squeaked slightly as I heard the sound barrier break. I glanced up to see a grinning face covered by a red mask… I was being held by a strong well-muscled guy. It took all of my willpower to pry myself from his grip and get back into the fight. I managed to destroy a cruiser telekinetically before landing on the plateau where the others were gathering.

Apparently, they were shocked to see me alive. At least Superman and the Lantern were. The rest were confused about who I was and why I was there except for the Batman.

"Hey, Bats, you dropped something!"I heard an amused voice laugh. "Oh yeah, didn't catch your name earlier when I kept you from falling. I'm Flash, the…"

"…Fastest Man alive." I finished for him. The look on his partially covered face went from confusion to pride. "Name's Animae by the way. Let's cut the chitchat and get to the point. I'm a psychic. I got everything except seeing the future. Now, can you please tell us why we're here?" I said turning to look at the Martian.

Everyone looked startled at this outburst. Yet J'onn told his story. I felt sadness for him when I learned of his war and even more when I felt the raw exhaustion that can only come from a broken heart radiating from him in waves. I quickly squashed these feelings, he didn't need my pity. "So, we need to work out a battle plan" the regal Princess declared.

"I am sorry but it may already be too late." The Martian looked like he was going to say more but Superman interrupted.

"We still need to try, though." Any further speech was stopped by a large explosion.

"Whatwasthat?" questioned Flash rapidly.

"It has begun." was the Martian's only reply.


	2. Secret Origins pt 2

Author's Note: I know that was a short chapter, but I'm just trying to stick to the script as much as possible.

Disclaimer: So far I only made Animae.

"What are they doing?" Hawkgirl asked, confused.

"The invaders are nocturnal. They want to blot out the sun so they can live in perpetual darkness." J'onn replied grimly.

"Friends of yours?" Flash joked. Even _he_ sounded half-hearted. After Batman's reply of 'It's no joke', I decided it was time to step in.

"Ummm…… Can we get to the point? You're all acting like zombies. And beliiiiieeeeeeeve me! I know what a zombie acts like." I smirk as most of them try to hide smiles while Flash was holding in a fit of giggles. "Besides, can't you make another batch of nerve gas, unless, our poor, secretive government destroyed your only sample." The silence I received was my answer. "Well, then. I say we just go and do as much damage as possible—without getting killed—and create a rendezvous point near the one in Metropolis."

"Now just hold on!" exclaimed the Lantern I now knew to be known as John Stewart. "We can't very well rush into battle without a strategy, and I think we should have an age limit. 21 is good, don't you agree?"

"WHAAAT?!" me and Flash nearly scream. But he wasn't done.

"I also think we shouldn't let amateurs come either!"He said, glaring pointedly at Diana.

"Amazons are warriors born. Would you like to test me?"she challenged, a fiery glint of determination and anger poured from her, luckily Superman spoke up.

"We shouldn't be fighting among ourselves," he said to Diana. To GL he finished, "and we'll need all the help we can get. Also, uh… what's your name again" he asked me sheepishly.

"Animae. It's Latin for soul, spirit, vital principle; life; breathing; wind, breeze; air (element)."I replied smoothly. Everyone except Bats and the Martian seemed shocked. "What? I know practically all Terran languages along with a few alien ones absorbed from aliens I meet. I love being a super-powered psychic. Besides, I'm technically a Roman citizen. Technically."

"Well, that's good, but we need to split up into teams of twos and threes so you two rookies can pick up some tips." John replied coolly.

"Great. Dibs on the super smart Roman!" Flash exclaimed, racing over and placing an arm around my shoulders. Thus causing me to blush. Thankfully no one except the Martian noticed, but sadly, I didn't realize this.

"He isn't any fun." I mumbled sadly when we departed. Instead of Flash, I got stu—I mean paired up with Superman and Hawkgirl. Before either of them could reply, I continued, "He just couldn't pair me up with Flash. But the Boy Scout and the mace happy hawk."

I received a glare and I realized something. "Please tell me I didn't say that out loud."

"Sorry, but you did." Replied said Boy Scout.

"Oops. Could you maybe not tell Flash I have a crush the size of China on him?"

"You've got a crush on that idiot? shouted Hawkgirl. She looked about ready to say more but was cut off by rapid shots signaling our arrival. We took off in different directions. Even though I still hurt from the previous battle, I sent up a psychic shield around myself and began ramming through things that weren't friendly at all. When I looked for the others after mine were beat, I got treated to the view of Hawkgirl destroying everything in her path and then some.

Superman then blew a hole in the factory wall with a tripod foot. I winced as I landed but did not speak my pain. He told us to follow him. As if I'd wait outside. "Keep a sharp lookout." he aimed towards me.

"I tend to keep more of a sharp mind out."I grunted. Just as we were climbing a pink pathway, shots began raining down everywhere. But before I even got the chance for one hit, Hawkgirl beat me to the punch. Literally.

As we continued to fly in silence, the others began a conversation about Hawkgirl's fighting style. I knew something was wrong when shots fired but stopped abruptly. The next thing I knew I was coughing yellow gas and then an uneasy darkness.


	3. Secret Origins pt 3

Author's Note: I seriously appreciate the reviews. Sorry to anyone that was confused by chapter one. Also, if ya haven't realized this yet, I'm going by each episode part for a chapter, resulting in them being so short. Promise I'll beef up the chapters and clear some things up when the story's over.

Disclaimer: Do I gotta repeat myself again? I own nutink but Animae!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaanywho, let's go on to ze story, shall we?

I remember waking up with pink gunk keeping me from moving my hands and feet. I looked over to see Superman just watching me. "It's about time you woke up, I was getting worried I'd have to keep arguing whose fault it was we got captured." A gruff voice stated. I turned my head up to see Hawkgirl in a similar predicament.

"Well, good day to you too." I muttered in response.

"Why didn't you warn us about the trap?" Superman questioned suspiciously.

"'Cause you two were having such a good chitty-chat, I was focusing on blocking stray thoughts from entering my head, and besides, I was thinking about some things."I sighed. I didn't want to explain anymore to a guy who would probably blush and a gal that would most likely laugh in my face.

"Hey, look!"Hawkgirl pointed out. The rest of our misfit hero group was being dragged in.

"Try anything and the Martian gets it!" squealed one of them delightedly as they stuck our allies (I'm not sure if they're friends or not) to the gunk holding us down.

Soon enough, they leave so Super dude asks me to sift in their memories to see what happened. As soon as I learned about Batman's fate, I alerted the others, keeping J'onn's secret to myself. Superman seemed rather depressed and Hawkgirl… I don't really know what she was feeling. Her helmet was blocking my psychic abilities.

"J'onn, J'onn!" Superman nearly yelled. "Wake up!"

The alien awoke slightly dazed, "Superman?"

"You shouldn't have risked your lives for us." He sighed sadly.

"Speak for yourself, some of us like living." I mumbled crossly.

I received a glare from Supes as the others tried to hide their snickers, minus Flash, he was out like an overheated light bulb. "Would you have done any less for me?" the Martian's solemn question stunned me but was snapped out of my silence by Flashes awakening.

"Unnnnnh….. My aching head." The footsteps that came after were rather unwelcome.

I looked up to see one of the creepy white aliens in a grouping similar to that of a semi-organized, small army. "Earth's mightiest heroes," the leader before shaping into a smartly dressed politician, "welcome." That smirk really grinded me.

"Senator Carter." came Superman's reply. I decided not to ask who or what he was until this was over and assuming we survived.

"Unfortunately, the real Carter never made it back from Mars."

"And you used me to weaken Earth's defenses."

"You were so eager to cooperate. Thanks to you the humans were totally helpless against us." I saw the Scout's head droop at this comment.

I merely rolled my eyes, "If we're as defenseless as you say, why bother to capture us?" I am happy to say my comment wiped the smirk off that alien's face.

"You were simply in the way. There is no hope from now on. You see… the Imperium is here. All hail, the Imperium!" was my reply as the dreary gray roof opened, allowing a huge, purple-ish colored blob fly down.

"Ummm… Ew…?" I questioned with a tilt of my head.

It ignored me as it made its way through the bowing crowd of aliens. "J'onn J'onnz, It's been a long time." With a wave of a tentacle, J'onn's mini-prison came forward to greet it. He was released but upon it, electrified spears shocked him to his knees.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH" the scream and feelings of agony overwhelmed so much I hardly noticed when it stopped and started again let alone hear the words spoken. I broke out of my stupor when Batman appeared and reversed the ion charge…. At least that's what I think he did. Who knows? I don't, so don't ask.

"NO!!! STOP HIM!" the shriek came too late. What was red went blue and sent a wondrous beam of an even brighter blue into the sky, clearing away the gathered pollutants. The creepy peeps began frying when hit by the light. "No!" came a plea.

"You live underground and shun the light. Why? Does it burn your pale putrid skin?" a sensed a hidden fury in those defiant words.

"YYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGUUUUGGGHH!!!!!"

"Ugh, that's one, nasty sunburn." Flash said with a tinge of disgust.

Batman swung over and grabbed something from his belt. "Ultraviolet rays." He explained, "Coming from the depths of space, the invaders have no resistance to our sun's radiation."

Superman smirked and used his heat vision to break free. "Why didn't you do that earlier?"I questioned, flabbergasted. He just looked at me like I was crazy. I simply shrugged.

"So you did find a weakness after all." Wonder Woman said to Batman.

The gross blob then ordered for us to be destroyed. "As if." I muttered. I just focused two points of energy to make the bonds holding me explode. I received quite a few glares at this. Someone even mumbled show-off.

Superman proceeded to lift up a rather large piece of hill to block the offending shots but not before I was hit in the leg. Apparently, not a person noticed except Flash who wondered if I was gonna be okay when I freed him. "I'll be just dandy as soon as I teach those mongrels to mess with me." This scary growl emitted from my throat before I could stop them.

Now we began to defend ourselves. I went straight for the one that hit me and pulled it apart. I continued to do this and a little mind scrambling before I heard the senator screeching in pain. I looked over to see a ship leaving but stopped when I saw the Princess go after it.

You can believe I was shocked when I heard an explosion and felt strong – red—arm grab my waist and pull me along at hyper speed. "I'd hate to lose you again." He said solemnly to Bats. "Maybe we'd better get outta here!" he yelled after somethi8ng exploded a few feet away.

"Not without them." Superman commanded. Eventually, we got all the people out in GL's bubble. We flew away and just in the nick of time. As soon as we were clear, the whole place exploded. We were then treated to a spectacle to behold. The ship was fleeing as the light cleared away the darkness.

"I wish I brought a camera." I sighed breathlessly.

Three weeks later, I was clearing up some leftover invaders when I felt myself being pulled by a white light. When everything was clear, I saw I was standing in an odd field. Well, not so much a field as a large circular platform.

I soon saw a few others. The people I helped during the invasion. "Uh-oh, what happened this time?" I asked tentatively.

"Nothing, we just wanted to ask you a few questions." Flash said bemused.

"Like what?"

"We were wondering if you would care to join the recently formed Justice League." Superman supplied.

"Sure, but aren't we one player short of a baseball team?" I already knew the answer but was curious about the Scout's reaction.

"You know, Flash said the same thing." I saw a glimpse of a blush on said hero's face but chalked it up to imagination.

"So. When do I start?" a simple question that would lead to an adventure like none other I have ever experienced.

So, there you have it folks. The Secret Origin Trilogy is completed but now so much more awaits our young heroine. If you stay put, I will too! Review, if you'd please.


	4. In Blackest Night pt 1

Author's Note: Hello once again! I am sad to say my update speed will be slower than normal until further notice due to a school research paper.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Justice League... yet.

I woke up in the Watchtower. I _still_ wasn't used to it yet. After a few minutes to recuperate from my nap, I trudged to the main lobby where I saw Flash talking about criminals with Hawkgirl. "Hey sleepyhead! You kinda forgot to get dressed." It was hard not to feel embarrassed when I looked down blearily to see the black boxers I use as pajama pants and a gray undershirt. I felt a few mixed feelings from the absent-minded hero I secretly loved, namely humor. Right as I blushed crimson, I realized that I wasn't wearing my helmet. But before I could move, most of our seemingly mismatched team filed into the room. I made a mental note to check up on Bats, GL, and Diana whom weren't there.

"Say nothing and I won't castrate any of you." I simply walked past the slightly pale men and the giggling woman. Once in my room I got ready for a night in town. I felt like checking up on Lantern, so I pushed in the coordinates of his street corner.

Once I arrived, I decided to look around the area. I felt like getting a haircut, so I went searching for a Barber Shop. Upon finding one, I saw GL inside. '_Two birds with one stone_' I thought to myself.

I saw him talking to an old man and randomly felt like making my presence known. "Hey, John," I said walking in, "haven't seen you since your mission in another galaxy."

Surprise flashed across his face for a brief pause but was soon replaced by recognition. "Animae? What are you doing here?"

"Shhhhh… You'll give me away! Besides, off the job people tend to call me Valerie or Val." I smirked slightly as his face twisted in realization. "Don't worry, Supes, Hawkgirl, Flash, and J'onn saw me in my skivvies after I walked into the control room before fully recovering from a hangover."

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking alcohol, Miss?" the elderly man asked me after getting annoyed at being left out.

"Not in Italy, where I happen to live."

He appeared as if he was going to say more but was cut off by a resounding explosion.

"Stay here!" John yelled to him and a young boy. I am sad to say I was seriously impressed by the way he changed into uniform. He flew out the door while I followed, placing a bag with holes for eyes because I still had an identity to protect. So much for my haircut, anyway. I arrived just in time to see John give up his ring. I skimmed his mind to find the reason and was shocked by the result.

"We really need to get to the Watchtower." I stated calmly. Everyone turned to look at me but stopped to stare as if I'd grown a second head. "What? I don't have two heads, do I" shifting my face multiple directions to get the point across.

"Right, let's go." Superman took the lead to the _Javelin7. _"But why do we need to go to the Watchtower?" he questioned indecisively.

"1) I need to go change. 2) I need to show you what planet they are on. 3) I'm hungry and we need to refuel our ship."They seemed to accept this until reason 3.

"Why are you hungry?" the Martian questioned.

"Simple, I missed breakfast to see what Bats and GL were up to."

Flash gawked "You skipped breakfast?! That's like, the most important meal of the day, it's blasphemy!"

I just gawked right back at him, but before I could reply, Superman told us we'd arrived. Good thing too, Hawkgirl looked ready to kill, not that that's unusual, simply a teensy bit harsher than normal. To escape any nagging, I teleported to my room, changed, and teleported to the constellation room-thingy-ma-jig. It was being turned on and I could see Flash leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest and legs crossed. I couldn't help the butterflies in my stomach or the way I almost melted when he smiled and beckoned me over. I saw the others giving a mixture of knowing smirks, an impassive look, and a face of obliviousness to it all.

"Alright, everybody, let's see. When I read his mind I saw a bunch of stars that looked like this—yup these are the ones."

They asked me if I was sure and I said yes.

I was quite unnerved by the fact that as soon as we entered the city limits we were shot at. Superman grabbed my wrist and yanked me out so I could help fight. I tried to protest but paused when I saw that glint in his eyes. It's not that I don't trust Flash's piloting skills—Okay, I don't, sue me. He doesn't even know how to fly the _Javelin7._ Not what I call a smart decision on Superdude's part, but, hey, when an indestructible super powered guy tells you what to do, you do what he says.

I made sure to ram into as many people (we are on their planet so, technically, we're the aliens here) without killing as possible. I turned around and alerted the others when I heard Flash calling for help on the comm. Link. We got there in time to stop him from becoming an incredibly bloody piece of gore in our ship. As soon as he turned back to us in relief, I noticed he looked pale. I scanned his body and stopped when a large crimson stain was growing by his right calf. "You're hurt!" I blurted out without noticing it.

All eyes were on Flash. He blushed, well, it was more a slight coloring of his face which left as quickly as it came. "I'll be fine as soon as we find GL." I'm not convinced, but I'm willing to play along. I glare at the others so they will too.

"Follow me." My order was clear and understood. Before anyone could protest I picked up Flash bridal style and carried him up. My heart rate spiked when he hooked his arms around my neck. I noticed he was breathing heavier but from the wound or my proximity, I couldn't tell. I honestly hoped it was the latter of the two choices.

**Flashes P.O.V.**

She was carrying me. ME! And bridal style too. I really didn't dare try to talk because I was absolutely positive I'd end up saying something stupid. Sure, I was used to making a fool of myself, but for some reason, I didn't want her thinking of me like that. It's also the reason I wasn't going to try asking her out. Yes, I admit it, I have a crush. I may even be in love, but I'll never tell because I know she feels the same way but I'm even more sure I'll do something to make her hate me. The reason I know she likes me more than a friend is because she gets around me but it's so light you can only see it if you're looking for it.

My suspicions were confirmed by the way she worried about me when I was shot and by the way her pulse skyrocketed when a put my arms around her to lessen the chance of my falling. I was still wondering about the way she was checking me out (come on I know that's what she was doing and this isn't ego talking) when we arrived at a large bubble made from what looks like a super strong version of plexi-glass. "Hey, Supes, a little help here?" I felt relieved to hear my voice sound normal again. Everyone else looked more relaxed when I spoke too. I actually felt Animae shudder slightly and I swear I saw some faint, unshed tears in her eyes. This shocked me; I knew she had a crush, but seriously? Crying over spilt blood and not even that much, I guess I had more of an influence on her than I thought. While thinking this, I saw Supes break open the bubble with laser vision (no, I'm not jealous, not one bit). We flew in and were immediately surrounded by guns. I was promptly dropped and left to fend for myself. As soon as I stood up though, we were told by a large talking TV with faces to take our seats.

When they started talking again, we were filled in on what had happened. I was shocked, as were the others except Animae who looked worried. I couldn't really tell because of her helmet. I was even more shocked when Lantern told us he was guilty a little later.


	5. In Blackest Night pt 2

Author's Note: Research sucks. That's it. That's all I'm gonna say.

Disclaimer: I don't own the League.

"Three billion gone, I don't believe it." Flash's voice was full of shock. I didn't blame him, not long after the invasion, John and Flash had become fast friends.

"Neither do I."Superman's tone was wigging me out. "I want to take a closer look at what happened."

"Why?" Hawkgirl's reply rang out. "John admits he's guilty. No one's disputing the facts." That was a shocker. I'd have thought she would stick up for him. Huh.

"Well, maybe I am." Superman was up to something… "J'onn, I need you to come with me. The rest of you, buy John some time in court."

"You're asking the Fastest Man Alive to slow things down? Won't be easy." That gave me an idea.

"I know my way around a court room. Flash, how 'bout we act as lawyers for GL. Hawkgirl, after we start, do you think you can get some of the other Green Lanterns to help out and be character witnesses?" The subtle surprise changed rapidly to determination as they agreed. "But first, Flash, lawyers here face the same penalty as those being defended, including… death." I hated the way it sounded, but it had to be said, so I meekly lowered my head, bit my lip, and twiddled my thumbs.

Flash simply looked more determined, but I could sense a slight tremor course in his mind. He was scared but didn't dare show it. I respected him a bit more after that.

"John Stewart, you may now question your accusers." The center judge was a little too void of emotion for my taste.

"No questions." I couldn't stand his depressed tone, so I nodded to Flash to begin.

"None? Don't you intend to defend yourself?" The female judge on the right looked slightly surprised.

"No, I don't."

As Kanjar- Ro began to come down… "I object!" At that point, I face-palmed. He could have at least found a subtler way to do this. "You call this a trial? I say it's a joke!"

Hawkgirl yanked down his arm "What are you doing?!" I heard the underlying concern. She hadn't been too happy about the plan

"Prepare to be dazzled." Either it was my imagination or Flash actually sounded grim in that statement.

"Remove him!" My head turned sharply to the owner of the command. Flash simply zipped off dodging and hitting the snake- guards. I stood up and quickly followed without being conspicuous.

"Listen to me. With something this important you gotta hear both sides." Something in his voice was off. He sounded exhausted and… a bit defeated. Something was definitely wrong, so, naturally, my pace increased.

"Flash, I told you not to get involved," I barely heard John's angered whisper.

"They're railroading you pal!" The response was equally hard to hear. "UGHNNN!" I silently winced as the speedster was heckled from behind and placed in a headlock. "Hey!" I was going to make a move but the female judge's command stopped me.

"Wait, this being may have a point." My heart skipped a beat. "We don't want any doubts about our final judgment, do we?" Now my hopes were certainly up.

"No, of course not. But who would speak for John Stewart?" Now was the fun part. I wondered why the center judge let the other two ramble on. Oops, nearly missed my cue.

"Flash and I shall, Your Honor." I nodded for Hawkgirl to round up the Lanterns. I received a glare in return, but she left at least. A few people were confused at how I got down there without being spotted. Ahhh, the joys of teleportation.

"Two of you? This should be a challenge." The center judge finally spoke. "Very well, proceed." I was unsure of what or who was challenged.

"Alright, but first, I'd like to say a few things on umm... Habeas Corpus and uh…" _Ex Post Facto, no one else can hear us with my telepathy._

_Oh, if you know anything about trials, please help me._

_Fine, _I inwardly groaned. This was going to be a long court trial…

_I heard that!_

_Meh…_

After about an hour of Flash ranting with me putting in a few ideas so as not to look like I wasn't contributing, the judges grew tired and yelled at Flash to shut up. Okay, not they said that exactly but they probably wanted to. But just in time to save our and John's hind, Kilowag arrived. _Yippee_, I thought drily, _more time_.

After we finished questioning Kilowag, Flash just had to say "Your turn." in a completely juvenile way that I had to admit, was seriously cute. As soon as the harsh questions started, I knew we were up a creek without a boat instead of a paddle. I pretty much zoned out at that point, mainly focusing on how toned Flash's muscles were and how hot he looked in his skin-tight costume… eh? Did I really just think that? I saw Flash's face turn towards me and I noticed a slight blush he tried to hide. I completely and utterly forgot I still had our minds linked.

I broke out of my stupor when I saw the Guardians of the Universe being asked questions. I then decided to not look at Flash and his Drool-worthy… Damn it! I'm doing it again. After a while, I realized the Guardians were only making things worse. This was confirmed when the speaker sent their representative away.

My thoughts broke when said speaker commanded, "I demand an immediate judgment!"

"I object!"

"OVERRULED!!!" Flash didn't really have a chance with that one. "Having heard all the facts, we must now consider." With that, the judges faded away.

The audience immediately started to chatter. Flash and I floated our stands over to John. "We did everything we could." The usually cheerful voice was somber and seemed defeated.

"I wish you hadn't." John's reply held the same death note as Flash's. I couldn't believe it, me, the normally pessimistic one in the League, was now the optimist.

"We had a good run, but… I regret nothing not even this end." I gave them a sad smile to accompany the words I said that spelled doom for us all.

A blue light signaled the appearance of the judges. As the bailiffs quieted the audience, Flash said "That was fast."

"The facts are clear. John Stewart is guilty." Flash gaped.

"Do you wish to make a statement before we pass sentence?" I somehow got the feeling the female judge was sympathetic.

"Very well, the sentence is termination. For you and your advocates." The left guy sounded way too gleeful for a judge passing a death sentence.

There was an odd sucking noise and I saw the black ground open up to reveal a gray bubble. This then opened to resemble Pac man only with a flat bottom.

I felt myself being lowered onto it. I heard John say to Flash, "Think of the others like us. We all need to be held accountable. We have too much power not to be." I saw the resolve on John's face and the outright defiance on Flash's. I knew it was over as soon as the roof closed and left us in the dark. There was enough light in the bubble to see the outlines of the others.

I felt the tears in my eyes finally break and begin to flow freely. I slowly slid down the wall trying to choke back the sobs but failing miserably. I felt gentle arms close around me and I hugged Flash with what seemed like all I had to him. "Shhhhh……. It's going to be okay. You'll see." His voice was comforting and kind, so I buried my head in his chest.

My voice was muffled but still audible to the other to "I don't want to die." That was all that needed to be said.

"I'm sorry." John's apology was short-lived as my depression shifted to hollow humor. I turned my said so I could see him and so he would be able to hear me more clearly.

"Like I said earlier, you have nothing to be sorry for, nothing to regret." With my final statement, we all started to cough as the air filled with deadly gases. Flash and I pulled away from each other so we'd be able to breathe more easily. A few seconds before I could lose consciousness Superman broke through the wall and pulled us to safety.

"How dare you!" Even though that was screamed, I could barely hear it as Flash steadied me.

"John is innocent." was the only reply. At least my hearing was coming back.

"Hey, you okay?" Flash's voice was filled with concern… aimed at me. Must be dreaming.

A second later, murmurs started in the crowd and I noticed a few were pointing upwards. I looked and where there previously was drifting asteroids, now there was a brilliant blue planet. Fun.

"Ajuras 4 was never destroyed. It's right where it always was. An illusion, a frame-up as they say on my planet."

"YOU!" John's relieved face turned mad as he tackled Kanjar-Ro. "Why'd you do this to me?! Why?"

"For money!" the crook rasped.

"Whose money?!" he was really starting to creep me out.

"The Manhunters'" the reply was too scared to be wrong.

We saw the Guardians leave and Supes made us follow. I grabbed GL's ring and tossed it to him. Thankfully, he caught it and we left.

We managed to catch up to them in the Manhunters' quarters. I arrived just as they said something to Superdude and started to float or hover past me.

"Where are the Manhunters?" Sure, only stop for your Poster Boy.

"Headed back to Oa." New record for impassiveness during a crisis, Bats won't be happy.

"Back to Oa, they've been there before?" Go right ahead; keep ignoring the rest of us.

"Yes, we created them there."

"Say what?!"

"Heh?" Flash said the former while I said the latter at the same time.

"It was before the Lantern Corps. We thought robots would make good peacekeepers. But they were flawed; they couldn't understand the subtle gradations between good and evil."

_More good news, _I thought over to Flash,_ wonder if they'll stop rampaging if we ask nicely._ I could tell how hard it was for Flash to stop from bursting out laughing.

I was too busy watching Flash to hear the rest of the exchange, so I simply followed everyone else to the ship and then Oa. I was still a little shy about what happened when we were sentenced to death. When I saw what was happening I was shocked. It was a war zone out there! I smiled meekly when it was my turn to get off.

As soon as I was down, I began a psychic rampage. Every robot I saw got a decent hole in the center. After about thirty bots were destroyed, I felt a headache coming on. This was not good. Whenever I get headaches, they mean I overused my powers. Eventually, I became so distracted I got hit with a laser beam in my side. The last thought in my head as I faded was: _I'm gonna die if I keep falling._ With that final thought, everything went dark as night.

**Author's Note: I appreciate the reviews and I actually cried a couple of tears when I wrote this. Keep reviewing please!**


	6. The Enemy Below

Author's Note: Another late-night type-up. What fun. Anyways, here's the next chapter, which ended up getting deleted the first time when my lap top froze. That was really annoying and resulted in the forming of any relationships being delayed a while until I decide the Fates are willing to let that happen… or just until a couple of chapters. All depends on reviews.

Disclaimer: I only own Animae and her family, not the DCAU characters or the comic-verse ones.

Without further delay, onto the story!

**The Enemy Below **

_Flashback_

"_Hey Vee!" an overly cheery voice cried with excitement, "I've got a new job! And the best part is it's in America." Vee's heart sank upon these words. Her sister couldn't leave her, wouldn't, would she? _

"_That's great. Good for you!" The hurt was easily concealed as the young girl looked at her elder sister. They'd been inseparable since the younger was born. Always there to catch the other, but how could Vee possibly protect her elder when they were continents away? "What are you going to be doing?"_

_That question, although seemingly innocent, was riddled with betrayal. Meaning, what on the planet was worth abandoning your closest friend and family member? _

"_Oh, don't worry, sis, you'll be coming too!" Since when?_

"_Since when? I definitely do not remember agreeing to this." Some thoughts were hard to keep quiet._

"_Valerie, you need to calm down. Besides, We'll get to choose where we want to work, and I hear there is an opening somewhere in Central or Keystone City." Valerie Zaggardo knew at once the final nail had been driven into the coffin. _

"_BELINDA ZAGGARDO!" A voice came from a lone house on a hill. _

_Surrounding them were the Himalaya Mountains. Four or five of them formed a circle, a small pocket, if you will. In this 'pocket' was a valley. Deep magics kept it hidden from the majority of humanity and, apparently, aliens. Very few routes came through, and the safest passage was a river running straight underground and to the ocean._

_The valley was in layers. The outer of which was composed of a vast forest 10 kilometers deep. The next layer was of a vast, barren wasteland, seemingly devoid of life, but if viewed correctly, could show more ecosystems than that of a lake. This was also 10 kilometers deep. The third and final layer was more a plain of rolling hills of prairie and had a diameter of 20 kilometers. On one such hill, the two siblings sat on a fence encompassing the land from the center to halfway through the forest. This entire fenced in area was to let their prized horses run free lest they die from cabin fever._

_A house stood all by its lonesome near the bank of a still river. Time seemed to pass all too slowly sometimes._

"_What did you to our poor brother this time, Bell?" The two sisters often prank the men in their family to make sure rank in the family was well-known. _

"_Nothing Michael didn't deserve." This was confusing. The youngest of the five brothers, Michael, was just a year older than Valerie and rarely did anything worth punishing. _

"_Well, better go sort out your mess, then. I think I'm going to ride Midnight for a while." Midnight was a feisty mare at the best of times and only did as Vee or Bell said. She sometimes did what Michael said but it all relied upon her mood and the weather. "I'm going to need time to think on your offer." At this, a sleek black horse came running forth. Despite looking pure in its color at first glance, upon further inspection, hairs of pure silver and white could be seen in the mane and tail. It would not be easy to guess the mystical origins of this fine horse._

_End of Flashback_

I quietly groaned as I woke up, the memory still fresh in mind. When my eyes opened, I immediately saw bright lights illuminating a white ceiling. That's a lot of things ending in –ight. Wonder if Bats is in, that'd be another. Upon seeing the fluttering of my eyes, a red blur came out of nowhere and hugged me. I gagged, "Seeing as how I can still feel pain and am starting to crack a rib, I assume everyone jumped the gun, successfully got everything right, and… is that pizza I smell? I need food!"

The last line startled the one holding me enough to let me be able to break away and head straight for the source of the smell—literally. I highly doubt Superman was thrilled I stole his lunch, but, I was in a coma for days, possibly weeks, without real junk food. At least I said excuse me first.

After being pried away from the remainder of a surprisingly spicy pizza, I was pulled along back to the med bay. No one said nothing 'bout not being able to eat tasty food. Everyone else was already down there waiting for me. They just looked at me when I bit down on the last of what I could hold on to. "_What?_ You try surviving for who knows how long without any non-liquefied food."

"Look, I want to apologize for getting you-" I cut him off by slapping him upside the head. I received a glare for that. My reply was a smirk.

"What happened?" Flash's question dropped my semi –smile.

"Psychic overload." Plain and simple, no sugarcoating for anybody.

"Huh?" Superman's face was twisted in confusion. If the situation wasn't so serious, I'd have laughed.

"I overused my powers." The looks I got were completely different. I decided on another tactic. "Anyone who knows what I'm talking about, please wait to pester or hug me to death until I explain this to the others." I got a few glares but Bats, J'onn, Hawkgirl, and surprisingly Flash left. I sighed sadly, this would take awhile.

"In simple terms, my powers can get fatigued to the point of my passing out." It was almost funnily sad to watch as they realized it was just a matter of my endurance.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooO

After J'onn did some tests on me to make sure there were no ill after-effects, I went down to the cafeteria to get some food. I saw Superman there but decided to avoid him lest he defend his food against me.

Flash was sitting all by his lonesome with ten boxes of pizza and thirty Iced Mochas. Before sitting by him, I grabbed some tacos I brought from home out of the fridge. He looked at me warily before moving three boxes out of the way.

"Flash? Can you do me a favor… well two favors?" Something was bothering me.

"Yeah, well, depends on what they are. My food is off limits to all except myself." I could hear a hint of amusement in his voice and it helped me to relax.

"First, would you heat up my tacos? I'll let you have a bite, with and without salsa. Next," the first was done in a matter of seconds as was his payment gone, continuing, "Can you not tell the others about the memory or memories you saw? And don't try denying you didn't see anything. It's not the first time I overexerted myself."

The explanation for that is, whenever I'm in a coma or similar state of consciousness, I send out memories to people if they are close to me emotionally and physically, which is why Flash was affected.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." That grin was enough and the words just reassured me he'd keep my secret. At this point, Flash began to eat quickly and was done a few minutes before me. In this time, he talked about a multitude of subjects. Oddly, none of them were about him.

Calling him on that was not a good idea. All he said on the matter was "There's nothing to talk about." I could sense, hell, I could hear something deeper and more painful because of it. I decided not to press yet. Sometimes you had to let others come to you.

Now my appetite was gone so I excused myself. I noticed Supes had already left. I briefly wondered when but stopped when I realized it was my turn for Monitor Duty with Bats. This was never fun. We managed about half an hour before I got bored enough to start humming to "Stand" by _Rascall Flatts_, the greatest band in history.

I was saved from a severe scolding by Diana, Supes, and GL arriving in the _Javelin7._ I teleported down to greet them. I spotted the Blue Scout on a cell phone. I never knew there was reception up here. Why doesn't anybody tell me things anymore?

They appeared to be in some sort of an argument. What fun. I overheard what Diana and John were saying about Aquaman. I actually met him a few times and knew him quite well, so I just had to give my own two cents. "He's really friendly once you get to know him. He's like Batman in a way, but he emotes more." GL gave me a look to kill and walked away. I just knew he was up to something.

I was proven right an hour later when Stewart came in yelling his head off. I ignored Diana's cool reply and turned the TV to the World Assembly. My mouth shot open at the sight. I rushed to the teleporters and before anyone could protest, sent everyone in the room except J'onn to the park outside the World Assembly.

We burst in like a herd of stampeding Hawkgirls and immediately set to quelling the king's temper. This resulted in me needing to follow him out before he did something we'd regret. The reporters swarmed outside of the doors trying to get an exclusive with him.

They'd have better luck with Batman. My musings were stopped when the two of us were nearly hit by a Bazooka. Talk about a bad day. Before going to the land of my subconscious, I could see the others racing towards. I also felt my stomach and was a little disturbed by the amount of blood I felt. Last time I am ever going to push someone out of the way of a mini-torpedo.

I remember awakening in a sterile hospital room. I hate hospitals; they're so dismal and sad with a side of extra crispy hopelessness. I got out of bed and started wandering around. I turned a corner and walked into the last person I expected to see: Batman.

I whispered "Shhhhh. You didn't see anything," then walked into a room with the others on this mission. "OI! Does anybody mind telling me what the Hell's going on around here?" The enraged approach seemed safest for me to go. I was right as usual. Everyone shrank before my gaze. I wondered if Batman felt like this when people cowered. It was rather amusing. "Never mind, do what Batman tells you to."

My orders were met with confusion but were carried out all the same.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

I did not envy Arthur right then, I mean, there is a reason you don't tap on fish bowls.

I pretty much left the following argument alone except for saying that I trusted the Ocean case.

My daydreams about what would happen if I locked GL and Aquaman in an indestructible closet were stopped when Batman relayed his plan. I was stuck on guard duty with GL. Another not fun activity.

I especially did not appreciate the sucker punch, however light.

John woke me up but said nothing, for which I am grateful. Once we located the others, I was ungratefully kicked off the mission for being too close to it. That didn't hurt me at all. Nope, not one bit. I mean sure, cussing out a Kryptonian was never good for one's health, but still, I never overreact to anything. Never.

**Author's Note: Sort of anticlimactic I know, but I'll get bored writing a chapter for every single episode. Don't worry; one of my favorites is next so I'll try to make it longer.**


	7. Injustice for All pt 1

Author's Note: Hey all you people. Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I was in Israel for the first two weeks of summer vacation and the rest is procrastination. I hope you're all still with me. I mean, come on, I'm not _that_ bad, am I? Don't answer that.

**Disclaimer: All I own is the Animae Family.**

_**Injustice for All Part One **_

I was bored. Bored-y, bored. Borededy bored. Sitting outside Luthor's office with the World's Greatest Jerk and the Military Loving Lantern wasn't exactly a good way to rouse excitement.

Sure they were good to have on your team during a fight but still! You'd think they would learn how to crack a smile once in a while! But GL has learnt to relax a bit. Thank the deity of speedsters (note to self: ask Diana if she knows Hermes) that Flash is good at wearing people down with puns so bad they have to be funny.

I sighed quietly so we could hear what was going in the office. "So this is how it ends, you know, I've carried this around for years, waiting for just the right moment."

Damn, the villains just have to monologue, don't they? It grates on my nerves. Luthor continued, "But now that it's here, I almost feel a little… let down. Almost."

Fake grunts could be heard from the false Superman followed by "Any last requests?"

Yay! We're at the end of this boredom-ness. "Luthor, I have to know, those weapons you sold to the terrorists. How—" Oh, that was one helluva fight.

"How did I get them through customs? A gift here, a bribe there. When money talks, people listen. Like Stafrose at the shipping company, or Schneider the Interpol agent who looked the other way."

"Sounds like you're going to have company in prison." I liked the slightly accented phrase it was a nice touch. Footsteps running could be heard, presumably Luthor running to get the kryptonite to work at a closer range. I then noticed Batman had opened the door and was glaring at me to get up from where I was sitting. Apparently, GL used me as a scapegoat because when I was standing at the door, Batman was putting he poisonous rock into his lead-lined belt.

"Mission accomplished." Bats' mic looked cool, but it's time to arrest the villain now. "Time for jail, baldy!" Everyone just looked at me. "Do I have a second head or something?" I was sadly ignored.

"So much for your figure as the benevolent business-man, this is the end of an era." J'onney always did have a way with words.

"Your era maybe." Luthor shouted as he pulled out a handheld trigger/button/thingy and pressed it. Three red beeps later and a freaky helicopter started shooting lasers at us. Luthor jumped into the open pilot seat, closed the hatch, and shot us with three missiles. One of which landed a foot away from me. If it wasn't for my magic armor, I'd have been jelly. As it was, I only got a few first degree burns and a small bloody gash in my stomach.

I think I lost track of time because I found myself being picked up gently. A soft and gentle green glow surrounded me and after what felt like just a second later, we were approaching the Watchtower. Another second, we were at the Bay doors then I fell into unconsciousness.

Waking up, I saw really bright lights, but then I only noticed severe hunger and no pain. "Someone get me spaghetti before I eat my foot."

"You're awake." Oh no, I'm stuck with the other mind-reader. Wonderful.

"Yipadee-doo-dah-day. Gimme something to eat! I'm starving here." All I wanted to do was eat. But that probably wasn't an option.

"I am afraid that we must run some tests before we let you leave, unless you know why you are completely healed…?" Martian Manhunter replied in that calm monotone of his.

"Sure, it's part of my powers. I tend to heal extremely quickly, usually only fatal injuries, but this completely drains my energy stores, making me as hungry as The Flash until I make up for the difference in food." As an afterthought I added, "Where's my spaghetti?"

With that I teleported to my room to change and then walked to the cafeteria.

**Angelo di Vehndetta's P.O.V.**

I was confused. Someone sent me a message to go all the way to America's Metropolis. All I knew was that it had something to do with my kid sister.

As I arrived, I couldn't help but notice a small group of villains looking at Lex Luthor and the Ultra-Humanite. I smirked softly. All of these people were on my list of revenge but none of them were in the top ten so I decided o let them live.

I flapped my wings gently as I swooped through the door. "Ah, here's our final member, Angelo di Vehndetta, I believe?" Luthor started off, not giving me a chance to decline his offer.

"Yes, and for those who don't know me, I am merely Hindsight. But if you wish to know my name in English it is the Angel of Revenge. And all here are on my death-list, so tread carefully." Luthor likely did not care for the interruption but it was of no concern to me.

If this works, I may yet lose these infernal chains binding me to a life shed long ago.

**Animae's P.O.V.**

I grinned peacefully as the rest of the JL walked in. I nodded slightly to them, and then resumed eating my large pile of sandwiches and spaghetti. "Oooh, food." Flash said as he zipped over to my table and sat down.

My glare made sure to stop him from stealing my treasured meal. With one more glare for good measure I carried the large plate of food around the Watchtower with a few smaller plates and made sure everyone got some. Only then did I return to find the Scarlet Speedster heating up some pizza from _Big Alexander's_.

I set the plate down carefully and snuck up behind him. I never expected him to turn around that same moment. We crashed into each other and fell into a heap. It was then I realized that I had landed face first on top of him.

I was too stunned to think. Thankfully, the guy I was on top of still could. He easily pushed me off and sat me down. In the time it took me to blink, I was sitting in my chair next to the smirking man to my left. "Thanks." I said gruffly.

"No problem. Not many girls can resist the power of my awe-inspiring muscles." He did not just say that.

"You are a flirt, you know that?" This sharp question was meant to make him scowl but he laughed. Laughed!

His reply was cut off as the buzzer for duty sounded. Instead, he picked me up bridal-style and carried me to the Hangar.

"No biggie, right?" Batman questioned Flash the moment we got there. Said speedster looked away pointedly as he set me down carefully. I decided to ignore the short exchange.

The ride to the abandoned place surrounded by cops was as quiet as um… well I felt like a cricket should have been chirping.

Batman went on ahead for recon and had me, Flash, J'onn, and Hawkgirl stay by the _Javelin7_. About 30 seconds later he called for back-up. Hawkgirl had gotten bored and left 15 seconds before the call for back-up.

"_Back-up is needed. Now."_

"Sure thing." Replied I, knowing there would be no call back.

"I shall remain by the ship to guard It." the Martian stated calmly.

Flash nodded and grabbed me at superspeed, racing into the nearby building. As we entered, Flash knocked down copperhead and put me on the ground. I saw Cheetah go for Bats but was caught by Wonder Woman's lasso.

"Let me go!" grunted the kitty Femme Fatale.

"Relax lady; it'll all be over soon." Flash smiled jovially before racing off. But as he passed an odd shadow, said shade moved and revealed the villain known as Shade.

"That's what you think." the creepy guy calmly stated. He then used his strange nightstick to send out an inky darkness that pushed Flash into a wall, effectively knocking the hero out.

Above me, Hawkgirl was doing battle with Star Sapphire, but Shade knocked her down with a bit of darkness. I ran to help but was rammed by a figure cloaked in darkness. I gasped as he stepped into the light (literally, not figuratively).

In front of me stood a 7 foot being with jet black wings. His skin was deathly white and eyes blood red. Short black hair in a heap on his head and ruffled belied a façade of messiness.

His black jumpsuit outlined his muscles and his golden amulet of a blood red phoenix flying straight up symbolized his oath as an angel of vengeance.

"Michael." I ground out. Anger and the pain of one betrayed coursed through my veins. "What the hell are _you_ doing here? Last time I checked you were sitting in a hole six feet under a tombstone."

"A good Samaritan decided to help me out of my plight. But enough chit-chat, time for you to die." Before he could do anything, I lunged for his neck but was intercepted by a fist to the gut.

The force sent me sprawling into a wall barely conscious. I blinked and darkness surrounded us and then a green light shot out and lit the whole place up before receding back to the owner's ring, leaving the lights on.

I stood up and watched as the others crowded around Batman to see if he was alright. I flew over somberly.

"Here, I'll teleport him to the Watchtower where I can set him some antibiotics." I didn't bother to wait for an answer as I closed my eyes and concentrated.

I sat and watched as J'onn futilely tried to convince Batman to stay. I wasn't quite ready to return to Earth knowing my brother was out and about.

I simply sighed to myself as I watched Batman walk past me on the way out of the Monitor room. He spared me a glance but said nothing. I easily picked up on his worry but did my best to ignore it.

I then walked over to J'onn and placed a hand on his shoulder. I felt him tense slightly before relaxing. "Don't worry about Batman, he's nigh unkillable. If there's anyone who needs to be worried over it definitely isn't him." _It's me._ I added silently. I didn't realize I used telepathy until he asked me why.

"How long do you have my friend? It's a long story." I felt more tired and weary than ever before just then. I think the Martian could tell this. Partly from being psychic and partly from me sliding down the glass and wall behind me and placing my head in my hands.

"As long as it takes." came the curt yet not unkind reply as my newfound confidant sat on the recently occupied chair. "Just let it all out." So be it. And everything came out.

**So wha'd'ya think peoples? Good? Bad? Please review1**

**Also I'm sorry again about the lack of updates but I'm getting back on track. Slowly but surely.**


	8. Injustice for all pt 2

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! Been reading too many Fanfics if that is even possible/ conceivable. I hope some of you are still hanging on with me.

Disclaimer: If only, if only I owned these fake people… Then I'd be rich!

**Injustice for All Part 2**

"Any questions?" I softly asked J'onn.

The Martian was still for a moment before replying, "No, just an observation: for all your cynicism, you truly care for all beings and are simply afraid of being overwhelmed by all the thoughts and emotions you can't block out."

"Wow, you're good." It was saddening to realize how easily my entire life could be summed up in one long sentence.

"I have one query though…" I interrupted him before he could make a bigger fool of himself.

"J'onn, never use the word 'query' like that in a sentence if you are casually discussing deep, personal doubts and fears. It is a definite mood killer. Please, go on." My last three words seemed strange to him when used with the previous correction. Meh.

"Why are you letting me in and no one else?" I had been expecting this question but it had still caught me off guard.

I bit my lip before answering this question to quickly think of something. "You're the only one who knows what it's like to have to block out stray emotions and thoughts. The others just don't understand. Any further speech was halted by the sound of the intruder alarm. Apparently, Grundy, Sapphire, Shade, and my dear brother had come to say hello. "Great, just what I needed." I grumbled sourly as I teleported the two of us o the Javelin Bay.

They had been expecting this and as soon as we solidified, I hardly noticed as something made a large, deep gash along the front of my thigh to the middle of my calf. I immediately collapsed to the ground and saw Michael holding a black long sword, smirking slightly. I instantly recognized it as the Soul-eater, a sword made of pure Obsidian from beyond the Gates of Hell or Tartarus, as Diana would call it, that does exactly what its name suggests to the beings it kills.

I could do nothing as they quickly dispatched J'onn besides erecting a weak barrier the sword easily slashed through. I simply locked eye with my brother as he brought the sword's hilt down onto my head.

Later on the Watchtower:

I awoke when I heard a shout close to me, and ignoring a pounding headache, I turned to see a rather large pool of blood with a skid mark down the center leading to a disturbed Flash. For some odd reason, I couldn't connect the blood to me until the other JLers ran to see what happened and looked from the blood to me and back again. I have absolutely no idea why, but I started to giggle uncontrollably. "Is that really all me? Sure none of it is Marvin's? I saw him take a bad hit to the head."

It was at this point I began to feel the pain of the wound and my loopy grin turned to a grimace of discomfort. "Damn, I must be really out of it if I'm laughing at bleeding out." I then promptly dropped back into my own blood.

**Flash's POV**

As I was walking off the ramp thinking how pointless it was for us to have gone to Stryker's' Island, I heard a moan and immediately ran to its source. I absolutely did not expect to go skidding through a ginormous pool of blood! I let out a manly yelp as I fell into the red. 'Cause I only let out manly yelps seeing as any other would make me seem girly and gal don' go for girly guys. I know because I blackmailed my bud Nightwing into acting like that in front of a group of girls. The bruises were well worth the footage I got of ol' Robby-poo.

Getting back on topic, I turned to see Animae sit up and start giggling like mad while the others came to see what happened. I didn't really pay attention to what the blonde said until she collapsed again. "I get the feeling I'm gonna be cleaning up again." I sighed. I always cleaned everything up, even if it wasn't my mess at all. Sometimes my super speed hates me.

I heard another groan and turned to see J'onn lying on the ground. "Hey J'onn!" My exclamation got the attention of the others. "We need to get these two to the Med Bay quic—" I was cut off by a sharp red glow from Superman as he used his heat vision to cauterize Animae's wound.

He glanced at me and ordered me to take the poor gal to the Med Bay while he took J'onn. The others were to look for Batman.

**Animae's POV**

The constant beeping forced me to open my eyes to the bright lights. I groaned inwardly as I realized that everyone was looking at me with a worried face. Brilliant. As I swung my legs off the bed I realized three key things: my outfit was gone, my helmet was gone, and my wound had been sealed. Thankfully, I was wearing a hospital gown.

"Where's my clothes and helmet?" I snapped angrily. Flash heard my tone and retrieved my outfit from some place. I didn't ask where. "Thanks." my growl did little to set them at ease. I sat back down on the bed and looked to assess the damage. My pants had an extremely long cut, but everything else was fine. "Anyone got a sewing needle?" This time I spoke more gently.

No one volunteered, so I'd have to wear leather instead. Oh well, there were worse things to wear than tight, black leather and a smirk. I teleported to my room, changed, and teleported back. My smirk grew into a devilish smile as I watched the jaws of Flash, Superman, and John Stewart drop. Leaning on one leg and placing a hand on my hip while holding my helmet with the opposite arm, I asked, "Ready to go? 'Cause I sure as hell am." With that I turned and walked out of the room while swaying my hips.

It took all my self-control not to burst out laughing when I heard Mr. Marine wolf-whistle quietly. I grinned broadly when I heard a thwack. I nearly stopped in my tracks when Flash defended Lantern saying "Come on, Hawkgirl, it's not his fault she has such a fine ass."

"You do realize I'm still within earshot, don't you?" The looks on all of their faces was priceless when I turned back to look at them. The Boy Scout's was especially funny since it was beet red. "Careful, Supes, don't go popping any blood vessels 'ya hear?" At that point, I turned back around, flipping my hair as I did so, giving them all a snapshot of the back of my neck.

A few seconds after I got out of hearing range, Flash zipped to me with a serious look on his face. Wow… Never thought 'Flash' and 'serious' could exist in the same sentence without a 'not' somewhere between them. Go figure. "There's a bomb up here, and it's set to go off any minute now."

"Aw man! And I was all ready to go bad guy bashing, too. . ." With that I set out to look for the explosives, searching for any strange substances with my mind. I felt the odd looks but was too focused to comment on them. I was about to alert the others when GL stole my thunder. I teleported down in time to see Flash throwing a yellow briefcase out the doors. Just seconds after, you could feel a resounding shockwave hit the 'tower.

We headed back to the Med Bay to wait for our green friend to awaken. Hawkgirl tried to contact Bats when I remembered something. "Wait! I know who dunnit! Star Sapphire, Grundy, Shade, and Angelo di Vehndetta."

A second earlier J'onn had groaned and said the same thing at the exact same time. This caused Flash to snicker and in turn GL Gibbs-slapped him (A/N: see bottom of page).

"But how could they have gotten in?" Diana confusedly asked.

"Only one way," John replied, "with Batman's transmitter." Oh shit on a hot dog, this is bad. As the others went over to the window and Hawkgirl futilely tried his comm. Link, I heard Batman's projected thoughts to me and J'onn. I felt a little tired of talking, so I decided to let the Martian to tell the others.

We swiftly entered the Javelin and left for Earth. It was, unfortunately, my turn to pilot it, so I couldn't really focus on the chit-chat. Flash being the co-pilot didn't help any, but after the fiasco when ordered to pilot the craft by himself, there had been a unanimous vote for him to learn to fly it.

After landing J'onn did a sweep of the perimeter to locate the big bad bat. "There. Batman's definitely there, along with the rest of them. "

"So it's a hostage situation, they may try to use him as a shield." Way to point out the obvious, Mr. Marine.

"Not if I can help it." J'onn replied as he phased though the ground, Superman's 'wait' going unheeded.

After about ten minutes of vigil, Hawkgirl had enough. "Time's up, now we do things my way." This was our pre-battle pep talk. Jeez. We all charged with different techniques: HG broke down the door with her mace and a war cry with Flash following, Supes crashed through the wall, GL crashed through the window, and Diana followed him.

I myself teleported in, behind the villains, and watched as Flash ran straight into a beam from Sapphire, causing him to fly into Hawkgirl. John attacked Star in retaliation, while Supes flew into Grundy. Shade quickly incapacitated the recovered Hawkgirl and just after, Wondy lassoed the Nightstick from him. Joker straight out ran but was caught by the lasso. Shade failed miserably at heckling Diana from behind, but since I was busy watching the rest of the team, I didn't see Michael's punch before it was too late.

I sighed softly as I retaliated by grabbing the base of his wing as he ducked down to avoid being hit by Diana and turned to glare at the Joker. I grabbed the other wing and pulled up the heavy lug above me, and flew as fast as I could into the ceiling. Once in the night air, away from the fighting, I let go of him. He gazed at me intently before nodding and tapping his medallion.

In a bright blaze he flew straight up and disappeared as ash 10 ft above. After another sad gaze at the falling debris, I turned back to help my friends. I arrived back just in time to see Hawkgirl break Shade's Nightstick. Superman looked to be having a marvelous time beating up Grundy, so I didn't intervene.

I saw Joker take down Flash and went to check on the poor guy. "You okay?"

"I've been better, but a pretty girl checking up on me is always welcome." I decided to tease him a little as we walked towards the others.

"Well, I don't always have a tall, funny, and seriously muscular guy to hit on or embarrass, either one works." I then leaned over and kissed him right on the lips and kept walking as he stopped and stood, stunned at what I did and waiting for his brain to catch up.

At that point I had reached the others and Flash zipped up with a slight red hue to his cheeks. Apparently, Humanite backstabbed Luthor and surrendered.

As we were all walking out, a little exchange took place between the ape and the Bat, but I wasn't really paying attention. As we loaded onto the Javelin, I stayed back but Flash seemed to have the same idea. The others exchanged knowing glances as the ramp closed and the shuttle took off. "Why're you staying behind?"

This question looked as though it caught him off guard. I think it had something to do with my tone.

**Flash's POV**

I didn't really get the voice she used. It sounded sad and her eyes betrayed a loneliness and injury that I'd only seen on a few people, mainly J'onn. I got the feeling that she wanted to be left alone but still around someone. Very strange. I chose not to ask just in case she yelled at me, so I said my good-byes and ran back to Central City. There would be no copping a feel tonight.

**Author's Note: Like it? Hate it? Review it and tell me what you think!**

**Gibbs-slap: A slap to the back of the head from a co-worker, usually of a higher status or rank, to signify that the preceding action or words were childish, immature, or stupid. Named for Leroy Jethro Gibbs (from the hit TV show NCIS), who implements this technique as a wake-up call. Google this term for more information.**


	9. Paradise Lost pt 1

Author's Note: Hey all you peoples! Another chappie for you. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. Life has just been in my way. .

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish I owned this, I do not. .

**Paradise Lost Part 1**

The rain was pouring down on Metropolis as I helped evacuate the city. Apparently, Hurricane Gardner just had to come and bring flood waters to Superman's city. The only reason I'm so annoyed is because I finally got the courage to ask the Flash out on a date, but right as I'm about to ask, the alert sounds.

Just before accidentally flying into a tree, I spy Snapper Carr out of the corner of my eye and see a bench flying toward him. Sighing softly to myself, I head off to save a cute reporter's life. I end up using telekinesis to keep the bench from hitting him and slamming into him to keep a tire from making skid marks on his face.

"Thanks! I owe you one!" I grinned at him as I flew off to check on Superman and Wonder Woman. I watched their little exchange about Diana's mother and felt a pang of sorrow. My mother and I could never reconcile after what we both said, but I put on my brave face once I stepped out of the shadows and into the light when Diana flew off.

"Hey, Supes! Nasty weather, huh?" I heard him sigh as if I had come to make him miserable. Someone needed some serious cheering up. "Look, you don't need to worry about Diana; she's a big girl and can take care of herself. I mean, she's older than me, but I have as much rights as she does. If I'm not a damsel in distress, there's no way she is."

My mini-speech gave him a fairly nice surprise since his mouth formed an 'o' and his eyebrows knit together. "Hey, you're not the only hero on our team. Every single one of us has sacrificed something for Earth. We've each bent our shoulders to hold the weight of the world." I flew off to let him stew in that little ditty as I returned to the Watchtower.

"Hellooooooooo, anybody home? Main evacuation is done so… um, yeah… GGAAAHHH!" As soon as I turned around, I saw the Flash standing behind me, grinning like an idiot. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

"As many times as it takes." he curtly replied. That infuriating grin remained but I had to admit it made him look cuter than usual. What he's got an Olympic runner's body, how can I not like him?

"So, what's with the all-out, I-know-it's-cheesy-but-I-don't-care grin?" I just had to know. The suspense was killing me. It was either really good for me or really bad. I hoped it was the former.

"I have a friend that knows this one bar and I think it'd be fun to check it out with you sometime…" He looked down sheepishly. Apparently, he lost his cool. "I mean, I'll understand if you don't want to go with—" I cut him off with a kiss, so he'd get the message.

"So, are we going to use civilian disguises or go like this?" I felt like screaming out loud, laughing, and jumping all at the same time. I settled for a small smirk.

"Well, if we went like this, we'd most likely cause a riot so I'm in for the civilian disguise. Oh, yeah, meet me at the corner of Fourth and Maine in Central City at 7:00 Wednesday." He was still a little breathless from the kiss, so I walked away after a little, pointless and awkward small talk; I went down to my room and collapsed on the bed beaming brightly and giggling softly to myself.

At times like this, I wish my Makari and Volpel were in the League. Especially Makari, since the bird lover might find a kinship with Batman or Lantern because of his "take everything too seriously attitude." Thinking of my earth side pals, I considered how my teammates would react if I asked if they could visit. Just as I was about to start, my comm. link went off and I had to report to the shuttle.

"We really need to get another Javelin. This is getting ridiculous." I muttered inside the cramped space.

"Well, if you want to be the one to ask Batman, go right ahead. Wait, can't you just teleport from here to there?" The change in tone was obvious to me.

"Do you know how much concentration that takes? I only do it to save time or show off. Otherwise I tend to take the longer route." I made sure to give him a glare that stopped any questions that would be awkward or uncomfortable.

"Could you two please stop your arguing? It is giving me a headache." J'onn didn't ask for the two of us to be there so I took pity on him. So we both agreed to be quiet and thus waited out the remainder of the flight in silence.

* * *

When we arrived, I swiftly teleported out of the cramped environment. This caused Flash to give me the evil-eye. I simply grinned and stuck my tongue out at him. The two waiting for us gave me the "disapproving adult" look, but I just widened my grin and rolled my eyes.

As Diana explained the situation, I suddenly thought of something. "I highly doubt he's working on his own, sounds too trickery-smart and not enough calculates-all-odds-smart. There's a difference you know. I mean you seriously trust this guy?"

The shocked expressions quickly subsided. You'd think after 8 months of knowing me, they'd finally start to get my way of thinking.

"Of course I don't trust this Faust, but what else can I do?" Her tone was woeful and made me remember what I'd do for my brothers.

Flash, predictably, ran up saying, "I say we go back and kick that wimpy sorcerer's butt!" He seemed angry and tense, something, I could tell, that seemed to deal with family on a personal level.

"No!" Diana commanded angrily, "Men are forbidden from ever setting foot on Themyscira."

"Someone should've told him that." Flash calmly retorted.

"Besides," continued Diana, "I gave my word that I would find the other relics." Sighing mentally, I tried not to berate her for promising a villain like Faust something.

"I'm afraid that leaves us one course of action." J'onn said gravely as Flash nodded and I looked on grimly. "We'll have to help you." the Martian gave her an encouraging smile.

Diana nodded hopefully and we started to make plans.

* * *

I flew angrily over the ocean toward my home in Rome, Italy where I could pick-up my anti-magic shield from way back when I got my uniform, thing. Quickly reaching my destination, I ran up the stairs to my little cabin just inside the city limits. I looked about the golden walls and spied the thing leaning under a window with a beautiful view of the ocean or gulf area nearby.

As soon as I grabbed it, I teleported to Greece and flew due East for thirty miles over the ocean, turned due South for another thirty miles and continued thirty miles in every other direction until I came upon a large crescent shaped island. The white beaches and marble would have appeared beautiful if not for the smoke rising up out of, what I guessed, was their equivalent of a town square.

I looked for the building furthest back in the forest and slowly flew there with the shield blocking the majority of my body. As soon as I entered, I knew something was wrong. It was way too quiet. Slowly, I ventured into the main room, and the first thing I saw was the woman I guessed to be Diana's mother.

Instead of rushing toward her, I carefully picked my way over to her, slinging the shield onto my back, blocking both of us from behind. Placing my hand on her forehead, I quietly searched for her mind behind all the stone. I was too absorbed in my task to realize a shadow had fallen over me until I felt cold metal being pressed against my neck. "Stand up and remove your shield." I didn't dare reply to his orders as I followed his directions.

"Good, now turn around and say goodbye." As soon as I faced him, his spell hit me and petrified me with a cold glare in my eyes and an expressionless mouth.

**Ah, it's finally done, and I once again apologize for taking so long!**

**West189**


End file.
